Toilet seat for infants



Filed Feb. 15, 1960 R.L My 6 M 5 5 WV a a. I r) I United States Patent 2,992,439 TOILET SEAT FOR INFANTS James Van Tassel, 2437 Heliotrope Drive, Santa Ana, Calif. Filed Feb. 15, 1960, Ser. No. 8,641 4 Claims. (Cl. 4-239) My invention relates to a toilet seat for infants.

It is an object of my invention to provide a toilet seat which enables an infant to seat itself upon a toilet bowl otherwise too high for the infant to climb upon.

Another object of my invention is to provide a toilet seat for infants which does not interfere with the use of the bowl by adults.

A general object of my invention is to assist parents to train their children to the use of toilet facilities at an earlier age than usual by providing a toilet seat which a child can understand and not fear, and can look upon as being its own.

In the accompanying drawing illustrative of a presently preferred embodiment of my invention, FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my improved seat for infants, attached to a conventional toilet bowl;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of one of the seat hinges; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of FIG. 1, showing the childs seat folded back to allow the bowl to be used by an adult.

Having reference now to the details of the drawing, a conventional toilet bowl is shown at 6, having a seat 7 and cover 8 which rests upon the rim 9 of the bowl. A short stepladder 10 has a back-frame 11 of which rear legs 12 and 13 are downward extensions, and it has forward legs 14 and 15, one of which, 15, extends like a hand rail 16 to the back-frame 11. The other forward leg 14, herein designated as the stub leg, terminates at about the level of the bowl rim 9. Although as illustrated the forward legs 14 and are not interchangeable in position, it will be understood that the ladder 10 may be constructed to be placed on either the left side or the right side of the bowl 6, according to the placement of other bathroom fixtures and the availability of space, and that the number 14 is used to designate the leg which is closest to the bowl 6 and is stubbed at approximately the bowl level.

The step-ladder 10 has a step 17 and a platform 18. The platform 18 is at approximately the level of a small childs feet when the child is seated upon a seat on the bowl 6. If necessary, to enable a child to reach the platform 18, one or more additional steps 17 may be provided.

Secured to the platform 18 near the edge of the platform between the stub leg 14 and the back-frame 11, are hooks 20. The hooks 20 have threaded shanks 21 extending through the platform 18 and may be adjusted in height by manipulation of nuts 22 and 23 above and below the platform 18 upon the shanks 21. When properly adjusted, the hooks 20 extend over the rim 9 of the bowl 6 and hold the ladder 10 firmly against a side of the bowl in the desired lateral relationship. It is conventional to have the seat 7 supported by rubber cushions 24, which provided a space beneath the seat through which the hooks 20 may extend. To prevent marring the bowl, the portions of the hooks 20 in contact with the bowl are preferably encased in rubber sleeves 25.

Sleeves 27 are secured at desired elevations on the forward stub leg 14 and the rearward leg 12 and are adjustable in height by inner half-sleeves 28 and by thumbscrews 30 set in blocks 29 which are prevented from turning by being set in the angulated ends 31 of the sleeves 27. The thumb-screws 30 have hinge-bolts 32 ice extending through their heads. A toilet seat 33 is hinged to the hinge bolts 32 by hinge-brackets 34.

The seat 33, suitable for a small child, preferably has sides 35 and a back 36. The hinge-bolts: 32 extend convergently sufliciently to permit the hinge-brackets to pass the legs 12 and 14 and the sleeves 27 without interference when the seat is tilted toward the ladder 10.

It will be seen that I have devised a seat of great practicality as well as usefulness. The entire structure of ladder 10 and seat 33 can be removed from the toilet bowl 6 by simply lifting the seat 33, then the seat 7, and then lifting the hooks 20 from the bowl rim 9. But when the structure is secured by the hooks 20 to the bowl 6, it can not slip. A child can climb upon the ladder 10 with practically no danger. When the seat is to be used by very small children, it is usually left in place upon the bowl as shown in FIG. 1. The child is taught to climb the ladder 10 and then to grasp the back-frame 11 while turning to seat itself upon the seat 33 athwart the seat 7. When an adult wishes to use the toilet, the seat 33 is swung across the ladder 10, to rest with its back 36 hooked over the hand-rail 16. This leaves the seat 7 entirely unencumbered, as if the childs structure did not exist or had been totally removed.

Some persons may find it preferable to have the seat 33 normally above the seat 7, instead of below it as illustrated. The adjustment in height by means of the sleeves 27 allows either arrangement to be accomplished, at will.

I wish it understood that the foregoing description is not to be construed as a limitation of my invention, the scope of which is deemed to include any constructive modifications falling fairly within the spirit and breadth of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An auxiliary toilet seat and ladder comprising a ladder having a platform and having hooks extending upwardly from one side of said platform, said hooks being adapted to engage the rim of a toilet bowl at one side thereof so as to hold said one side of said platform in lateral relationship to said toilet bowl, support means extending upward from said one side of said platform, an auxiliary toilet seat mounted on said support means, and hinge means on said support means securing said auxiliary toilet seat to said support means for swinging said auxiliary toilet seat in a vertical are between a horizontal position in which it is adapted for use over said toilet bowl and a position in which said auxiliary toilet seat is inverted and extends across said platform.

2. An auxiliary toilet seat and ladder as set forth in claim 1, in which said support means include vertical frame members of said ladder, sleeves adjustable on said frame members, and screw means for holding said sleeves adjustably on said frame members, and said hinge means include hinge bolts held by said screw means.

3. An auxiliary toilet seat and ladder as set forth in claim 1, in which said ladder includes a hand rail on the side of said platform distant from said hooks and a back frame for said platform for guiding an infant climbing to said platform.

4. An auxiliary toilet seat and ladder as set forth in claim 3, in which the second named position to which said auxiliary toilet seat may be swung is a position in which said auxiliary toilet seat rests upon said hand rail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

